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Two area experts -- Seana ("Shawna") Turner, a professional organizer with The Seana Method in Darien, and Bonnie Joy Dewkett, of The Joyful Organizer in Ridgefield -- offer the following tips:
- Pick dates to start your cleaning, and mark it on your calendar. "This will make sure you get it done," said Dewkett. She even advises making appointments with yourself for organizing and cleaning. "You don't miss an appointment with your boss, so don't miss one with yourself."
- Divide your house into type of cleaning, rather than going room-by room. Dewkett said doing all of one type of cleaning at a time helps you stay focused and you don't have to swap tools.
- De-clutter! This is one of Turner's big mantras. Start with your bulletin board for all out-of-date information and go from there. This includes sorting through medicine chests, getting rid of old medications and purging the closet of winter clothing you didn't wear. "If you are holding onto clothing one size larger/smaller, move this out of your primary closet and keep it in a box, under-the-bed bin, or guest closet," she said. She's also a big fan of dumping your entire purse/briefcase and cleaning it out.
- Start small. Starting with something doable and easy such as making your bed. This, said Dewkett, gives a room and fresh feel, you a sense of accomplishment, and helps set the tone for your day. She also recommends tackling the little tasks such as polishing your shoes, dry cleaning your winter coats and having your jewelry cleaned.
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Practice your fire evacuation procedures. Take the time to go over these with your family and update your fire extinguishers and replace batteries in smoke detectors.
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Don't forget the garage. And don't feel guilty about throwing away broken items. "We often keep things with the intention of fixing them, but then never get around to it," said Turner, so better to do it now.
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